


The Lionfish

by Opossumtivity



Series: One Piece || Nothing But Trouble [5]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Mermaid!Reader, Reader-Insert, lionfish are really venomous btw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2020-10-19 19:14:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20662325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Opossumtivity/pseuds/Opossumtivity
Summary: People often get the impression you're just a fragile mermaid, even though you trained hard in your early years just to explore the world without worry. You try not to draw too much attention on you, but all that changes when you pick a fight with the infamous red haired pirate. And no, I'm not talking about Shanks.





	1. Chapter 1

You opened your eyes to see the large sky look back at you. After outstretching your arms, you look down at the giant sea turtle under you.

“How long until we reach the next island?” you asked the sea creature.

**‘not too long, but I’m afraid I can’t go to far since there’s going to be a storm soon’**

“Tsk-“ you pressed your lips together.

“You’ve done enough already, I can swim from here” you reassured the sea creature, petting it’s back before giving the tip of its head a smooch. The turtle made a happy noise, watching you collect your bag and jump into the water.

**‘Take care! Watch out for pirates and those nasty slave traders!’ the turtle warned you before taking off in another direction before disappearing deeper into the ocean.**

He was a sweet one, but you were more than capable than watching over yourself. Despite being a mermaid you’ve been traveling through paradise and the grand line for 2 years after all. Just like the turtle predicted, clouds began to loom over the large sky, darkening the ocean water the further you swam.

It was no problem for you, in fact the rough waves made swimming all the more fun as you rode them like dolphins would, the large waves weren’t a match for the strength in your striped tail. However, who wasn’t as lucky was the ship you saw ahead of you. Sensing the vibrations from all the shouting coming from it, no doubt its sailors were going haywire with the sudden thunder storm.

Curiosity picked your interest as you inched closer to the ship, it was dark but a flash of lighting showed you the jolly roger on the mention ship.

“A pirate ship?” you smirked.

You had your fair share of encounters with pirates, they were certainly odd ones. Some cheery and happy go lucky while others were greedy and violent bastards. You mused to yourself, if they didn’t make it out of the storm there’s no doubt their ship would sink; leaving behind any treasures they could’ve collected. The idea was tempting to you, deciding to stay underwater and watch the ship from downward to avoid being seen, although it was dark, they still had some torches on their ship to illuminate around them and… you narrowed your eyes, did someone just breathe out fire?

You shrugged, dwelling into the dark waters once again. Patiently waiting for either the waves to flip the ship over or a lighting to strike on them.

“What’s taking so long?! Just wrap up the sails already!” Eustass Kid barked orders at his men, rain dropping over his face but he didn’t seem to care.

“It’s stuck captain” one of them replied, pulling at one of the ropes wrapped around each other in a knot.

Kid let out an audible groan, pulling out a knife from his belt and heading towards the ropes. Grumbling under his breath “If you want something to be done well you gotta do it yourself” with a swift cut, kid untied the stuck ropes, however the moment he did this; one of the masts became loose and swing directly at him without warning. The large mast knocked the wind out of kid as it punched him in the stomach and knocked him over board, falling into the violent waves below.

“Captain!”

You were minding your own business, wondering if you could make a hole in the bottom of the boat to sink it or not, when you heard a commotion in the surface.

“The hell’s going on?” you asked yourself, only to notice the silhouette of a man fall into the ocean waters. 

You grinned to yourself as you neared the human struggling to breath or even move, his body thrashing around along with the underwater currents. Licking your lips at the thought of raiding the pirate, you prepared your sharp outstretched nails, a murderous intent behind your eye. But once you faced the man to get a better look at him you felt your breath caught in your throat.

His red hair shined brightly even in underwater where there's a lack of any proper lighting, dark lipstick painted over his lips in a firm jaw, contrasting against his pale skin. He was hauntingly beautiful, not only that but his exposed chest aligned with strong muscles made him all the more attractive to your eyes.

He currently had his eyes closed shut, feeling the urge touch him despite the situation. You retreated your sharp nails to caress the side of his face instead, feeling it to be rough but pleasant to the touch. This caused the man to shoot his eyes wide open, his pools of dark orange looking back at you in shock and surprise, soon a hint of panic took over him as he hopelessly started to sink lower into the ocean depth.

“A devil fruit user?” You cursed under your breath. 

He had seen your true mermaid form, which by your own rules should be all the more reason to eliminate him, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it. Throwing caution out of the wind, you swam towards the sinking man, grabbing him by the coat with both arms as you mouthed the words. “See you later” before using all your might to toss him back up the surface with your attack ‘water jet!’ with help of water currents it impulsed you to blast him out of the ocean and onto the deck of his ship. Much to the surprise of his pirate crew.

“Captain are you okay!” his crew mates walked around him worryingly, heat in the meanwhile chuckled at the sight.

“And here we were about to toss wire to fetch you out. But how did you get out of the ocean exactly?” he was puzzled, just like the rest of the crew.

Kid sat up, coughing the seawater out of his lungs as he felt his strength return to his body. He thoughts went back to the woman he saw underwater, but he knew it would be outlandish to bring it up such a thing “The hell should I know? The waves could’ve just spit me out for all I care” he raised a hand to comb back his hair, until kid noticed he wasn't wearing his signature goggles on his head. “Where did they go-!?”

You hummed to yourself in a happy tune as you eyed the goggles now in your possession, placing them over your head and onto your neck for safe keeping. A nice little reminder of the red-haired pirate man on the surface.

“Our paths will cross again” you mused, swimming away from the pirate ship once the storm started to disappear.

You sat on a bench in Saboady Park, enjoying the sea breeze running through your skin while munching on the cotton candy in your hands, the sight of children and adults having fun in the rides brought an unknowing sense of peace to you. You've heard so much about how this park was quite the sight to experience so that's what brought you to such a place, countless stories of how every fishman and mermaid wanted to visit such a park.

And you don't blame them, it's rather fun and energetic but you couldn't help but feel it was just too childlike for you. As if you just outgrew such a thing. But you didn't let the park disappointment ruin your little trip, opting to stay positive in hopes of finding anything to bring you a thrill.

With a sigh, you munched into the last of your cotton candy, wiping your hands on your ripped jeans and set your way towards no place in general, just letting your newly split legs guide you to anywhere.

Eventually you made your way to the tourist area, filled with luxuries like hotels and bars, mostly meant as cash grabs to attract the most attention possible. You settled on one which seemed to have quite the ruckus coming from inside, stepping inside and taking a seat on the tavern counter.

After ordering and being served your favorite drink, you asked for a plate of seaweed salad however the waiter looked at you with a nervous stare. “I’m sorry ma’m your order might take a while since the kitchen is quite busy right now-“ he looked to the rest of the waiters who were going back and forth with empty plates and cooked food, sent to a specific table with a pink haired woman gobbling down food like an endless pit, surrounded by a group of scary looking men.

You placed the straw of your drink between your lips, sipping the cold beverage as you took notice of the recognizable faces in the tavern.

You had little to no interest in pirates, okay that was a lie since there was one that did catch your attention, but it was impossible to not know who the infamous ones are since they're all over the grand line. Unconsciously, a hand went to the goggles around your neck with a smile. Your thoughts going back to the red-haired man, Eustass Kid as you learned he was called. After stumbling upon him at sea, it didn’t take long for you to find out more about his endeavors related to pillaging villages and attacking any ship that crossed his path.

Not the most pleasant fella. And yet you still felt yourself drawn to the man.

Considering you were in the edge of the red line and the entrance to the new world; you were pretty much in the main hub for pirates and criminals alike. It was dangerous to involve yourself with not only pirates, but also a land that would capture and sell you if anyone found out your real identity under those jeans. But you already made your mind the moment you set foot on the archipelago.

You wanted to see him again.

While you took the last few sips of your drink, you saw a large figure sit next to you noticing the prominent dark red color from your peripheral vision. You didn’t pay the stranger any mind, simply looking forward as you gestured to the bartender to give you another drink but all you were met with was a feared expression from him.

The bartender’s reaction made you rather amused, especially when you heard the stranger speak to you.

“I believe you have something that belongs to me”

A knowing smile stretched onto your lips.

A hand reaching to grab onto the goggles around your neck, pulling you closer until you were almost nose to nose with the kid pirate captain himself. The dark lipstick on kid’s lips mirroring your own smile, his half-lidded eyes looking down at you with interest.

“Bartender!” Eustass ordered in a firm voice. Causing the shaking bartender to stand up straight in fear. “Serve me and the lovely lady some rum… we have some things to discuss~”


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." you played coy. Your eyes trailing across the features in his face, soaking up the details you weren't able to see underwater.

"I'm asking nicely sweetheart, trust me. You wouldn't want me to get rough on you."

"Hmm, maybe I do." you challenged.

Kid responded with a lustful grin, eyeing you with half lidded eyes. His voice lowering into a husky tone as he whispered in your ear "Well, we can take the easy way. Give me the goggles and we could go somewhere more private. Get to know each other..." the read head subtly releases his hand from your neck, having it caress your thigh instead.

The only thing you knew about him was his reputation for being a bloodthirsty sadistic brute according to the newspaper. But after having him up close, you could tell Eustass could be seductive when he wanted to, finding his offer to be tempting in exchange for the goggles.

You placed your smaller hand on his chest, teasing him by dragging the tip of your finger nail down his torso until it rested on the left side of his navel. Playing along to his charm until you looked directly into his eyes.

"I think I'll take the hard way." you said matter of factly.

Without warning you grabbed onto kid's arm, gripping his wrist before tossing the man across the restaurant and through a window with a crash. Amongst the panicked cries of scared costumers and angry waiters, you were able to hear chuckling coming from the redhead as you jumped through the hole you made in the restaurant's window. 

"Okay, that was a surprise. Too bad it won't happen again doll-face." Kid said with a hiss whilst dusting off his coat. He appeared to be unfazed by the attack, despite the wall he was thrown against left a noticeable dent and multiple cracks.

"We'll see about that." You replied with a confident smik, approaching him at a calm pace while cracking your knuckles with an audible pop.

________

"You found him yet?" Killer asked Heat while he peeped through the binoculars in his hands, the three pirates lost track of their captain after he left to town in search for someone. Eventually word broke out among the streets that a maniacal red head picked a fight with a bloodthirsty woman, so it was up to Killer, Heat and Wire to fetch their captain before the marines get involved. 

"Not yet... Oh wait, there he is." the blue haired man passed Killer the binoculars, pointing him in the correct direction. 

"Near the bay huh? I wonder why Kid hasn't murdered her yet?" Killer questioned, confirming one of the two individuals to be his bad mouthed captain. 

"Whatever, let's go before marines beat us." Wire added, leading the way down the tree they were standing on, soon followed by Heat and Killer. 

A few minutes earlier your confrontation with Eustass consisted of dodging his punches and tossing him all over the place as an endurance test, eventually moving the 'fight' a few miles away from the city. 

Being a lionfish has it perks, similar to a Fishman you are able to grow and retract the length of your teeth and nails up to 7 cm. They're originally hard and sharp, but if embedded with armament haki provided you with a formidable weapon against blades in close up combat.

The clash between knife and harden nails left a ringing echo in your ear every time you blocked one of kid's swings. The redhead wasn't an expert at managing the weapon since his attacks felt sloppy but he sure packed strength behind them. Judging by his access to the gun in his pants you could easily deduce he's more of a gun man. If he were to shoot you there and now where would the fun be in that? 

Then again, you wouldn't doubt he'll shoot you anytime soon. 

What was once an interesting way to pass the time was slowly turning into a hassle which was beginning to irritate Kid. 

"Alright doll face, it was fun but I'm gonna have to wipe that smug expression off your face." Eustass used his right hand to activate his devil fruit, attracting random metal objects from all over the port at the bay to form a giant fist.

"So that's how it's gonna be." you tighten the sun hat on your head.

The metallic arm was a sight to behold, but you couldn't allow yourself to feel intimidated.

Breath in, breath out. 

Taking a familiar stance. You began motioning your arms in a characteristic manner to fishman karate. Steady breaths. Your movements becoming fluid like a water current but it wasn't creating any immediate effect. 

Or at least not yet. 

"Just be patient." you said to yourself.

Kid's giant metal fist unceremoniously came crashing down on you, you slide away from the impact thanks to the archipelago's slippery ground. That was basically all you could do to keep yourself from getting punched, pieces of dirt flying around with every failed punch, but you couldn't run forever. Eustass had you cornered against the edge of the bay, the sound of splashing waves colliding with the edge of the archipelago was a tempting escape route, but instead you kept your sights glued on the opponent in front of you. 

"What are you gonna do now fishy? you gonna jump in in the water and swim away?" Eustass mocked you, his voice lacking even the smallest drop of mercy. 

It was a dangerous sign that warned you he wasn't going to hold back. All because you refused to follow his orders and that clearly pissed him off. 

"Not gonna happen." you said without a worry in the world, much to the redhead's irritation.

"Then perish!"

Eustass pulled back his metal arm to throw his final punch, but the redhead could only look back at you with wide eyes. He couldn't move his arm. Kid looked back at the metal arm only to see it was invaded by a bronze color, losing it's metallic shine.

"What's wrong captain? looks like you got a bit rusty there." you bared your sharp teeth in a mischievous grin, landing an open palm hit against his chest. 

The force of the attack sent him away from his now useless metallic arm, the both of you were tumbling downhill, trying to overpower the other like a wrestling match. It wasn't until you two reached the bottom of the hill where you stopped rolling, gaining the upper hand by straddling his chest. Kid glance to the side to attempt to grab his gun but you were faster, pressing your nails against his yugular. Ready to cut through his throat at any second.

You both were heiving, feeling Eustass's chest rise and fall with every breath he took. If you looked close enough, you could even see the sweat glistening on his bare muscles. You didn't know if it was your already attraction to the man or the adrenaline of fighting him. But it was safe to say the position of power you currently found yourself in was both thrilling and dare you say, arousing even.

You wanted to taunt the redhead with a witty remark but he was the first to speak.

"Join my crew." he said breathlessly, receiving a quirked eyebrow from you.

Now that was something you weren't expecting.

"Sorry ginger." you released your grip on the man, standing up and away from him. Cutting short whatever foreplay kind of fight this was, much to his disappointment. "I don't do piracy." you said in disinterest, ready to walk away in the oposite direction. 

Before you could take another step Kid gripped your wrist, forcing you to look at him.

"I wasn't asking." he said in a menacing tone. 

His stare was intense, but you refused to back down. Tension was building up the more he held you there, you searched through his face for any sign that he was kidding with his offer, but there was no joke behind those firm bronze eyes of his.

"Captain there you are!" you heard someone call out.

From your side vision you were able to tell there were three males making their way down hill, most likely kid's crew mates who came looking for him.

"What are you doing, holding a staring contest? Com'on Kid, marines will get here any second." one of the men said, but his voice had an echo to it, as if he was wearing something.

Either way, even with the interruption you didn't break eye contact with the man. You could see the visible frustration in his face that he didn't like being interrupted, the way his eyebrows furrowed and his teeth sneered. It was alluring. Makes you curious to what else gets under his skin.

"...Fine." Kid abruptly released your wrist, but not without leaning toward your ear. "We'll be staying at grove 24 for a week." before ripping his goggles from your neck. 

You stood still as you watched the redhead stomp his way towards his crew without looking back.

Once they were out of your sight you allowed yourself to release a breath you didn't know you were holding. You pressed a hand to your chest 'why is my heart beating so fast?' you questioned yourself before hearing a group of marines nearby. Realizing it was time for you to make a run for it, but as you jumped into the nearby ocean water you couldn't help but wonder. 'Am i seriously going to consider his offer?'

Only time will tell, and by the looks of it. You have about a week.

But before you could ponder more on the topic you were wrapped around a fishing net. You tried to slash at the net but you found out the hard way it was made out of chains. The last thing you could recall was a group of men wearing biker clothing before you blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HO BOI, this chapter was much more longer than this, so I had to separate it into two different chapters


	3. Chapter 3

It was pitch black, you were falling in and out of conscious. All you could make out was the voices of unknown men speaking to each other.

"She's not as young, but we can handle her for a decent price." an unknown voice said. Due to whatever effects you're under, it made it difficult to tell what was going on. 

You had a fair idea of what it could be.

No matter how much you prayed in your head that it didn't mean what you were thinking, the moment the cloth was removed from your head and your arms became chained up, you felt your heart sink. 

"GET OFF ME!" you yelled in horror, thrashing while the slave traders dragged you into the auction house and tried to place a collar on your neck.

"She's awake! grab another tranquilizer!" one of the men said to another.

You didn't process your surroundings, simply letting fear and adrenaline control you as you managed to kick away one of the slave traders. You yelped in pain when you felt something poke your skin, your legs feeling numb until eventually you lost the feeling of your lower body all together. You wanted to cry out in frustration as the slave traders practically dragged you into a cell along with other soon to be slaves. You tried to stand up but your legs refused to budge.

You could only growl in frustration. 

You've heard the stories of what happens to mermaids. Just like any merfolk and fishmen, you grew up terrified at the idea of being captured and sold off, but ever since you were young you also wanted to explore and see the world. So you never stopped training ever since you were a kid. And yet, you found yourself just a door away from being bought out by some rich bastard. 

You're afraid of losing your freedom, and you hated feeling that way.

You just want to live freely without fear.

Before you knew it, your eyes were becoming glossy with tears threatening to spill, you raised your head upwards with a scowl. 'Once I can feel my legs again, it's over for these fuckers.' you thought over and over again, biting your lip to keep yourself from crying in this cage. 

"Now now, no need to cry. I just hate to see such a beautiful woman cry." a kind voice said from within the cell. 

Recognizing the voice you snapped your head in the direction where it came from, there was a row of people in the cell along with a giant but you were able to distinguish ash colored hair a few people from you. 

"I never thought I'd find you here in all places, old man." you said out loud, earning a chuckle from the man. 

"What can I say? I always end up wrapped in trouble one way or another. From the looks of it, so did you." Rayleigh said in a calm voice, as if the situation was just another walk in the park. In contrast to the stress and anxiety it caused you.

And you know he knew that. 

So talking to him helped ease the growing fear inside you. 

"Yeah..." you sigh sheepishly, feeling embarrassed that he knows you got caught.

"What brings you to the archipelago? Doing some sight seeing?" he joked. 

"I wanted to check out the infamous sabaody park. Even to stop by and say hi." You smiled to yourself before adding. "I'm assuming you have a plan to get out of here, or are you intending to spend the rest of your life scrubbing floors?" you asked, leaning back into the wall.

"You know I do. But what about yourself?" he asked curiously, most likely testing you. 

You closed your eyes, taking a moment to breath before responding.

"I'll bite off anyone's limbs who decides to buy me. " you said with a grin, feeling the confidence slip back to you after clearing your head. You didn't train in vain after all. 

Rayleigh's laughter could be heard all over the cell, bouncing off the walls for a split second before saying. "That's the spirit!" he chuckles. 

You were about to ask him about shakky until your ears perked up at the commotion coming from down the hall. You felt your stomach sink when you saw the slave traders drag in a mermaid younger than you, you easily empathize for the terrified girl. Although you are able to defend yourself, it was obvious that this green haired girl was completely defenseless. It made your blood boil. 

"Electrocute her, she's being a hassle!" you heard of the men yell at another. 

Sadly you couldn't do anything in your situation. You grind your teeth together in rage, trying to stand up but the lack of sensation in your legs prevented you from moving a single step.

It wasn't until the man with the electric weapon fell unconscious that you stopped struggling, feeling a sense of relief wash over you for now. 

You waited for the slave traders to leave the room before saying to the older man. "You always had a soft spot for the ladies, don't ya old man?" you teased.

You looked back at the young mermaid who was tossed in a round glass tank, seeing a piece of yourself reflected in her. Or at least, a younger version of yourself. 

_____

One by one, you saw the slaves being dragged through the curtain doors, hearing the bidding outside. It disgusted you. The only ones remaining in the cell were Rayleigh, you and the young mermaid, you learned her name is Camie. When you had a clear view of her you offer to make small talk with her, as a way to ease her a little bit. She sounded like a sweet gal, talking about how she had faith her friends will come save her. 

"Your friends huh? They sound... They sound like great people." was all you could say, lowering your view to the stone floor.

"You've been traveling by yourself isn't that right (y/n)?" Rayleigh asked you. 

"Yeah, I never found the need to make friends. I just need myself." you said with a solemn look in your eyes. 

"Well you're on the edge of paradise now, you'll need to make alliances if you want to keep seeing the world. If you would allow me to give you some advice." the gray haired man readjusted himself in his seat. You gave him a small nod before he continued. 

"Join a crew and make nakama of your own. You'll find it to be very satisfying to travel with company." the older man suggested with a soft smile, the kind smile. 

The slave traders came back into the room, their eyes locked on Rayleigh." Your turn." they unlocked the cell to pick up the dark knight, he gave you a comforting last look before disappearing behind the door. Leaving you alone with Camie. 

You held you eyes glued to the ceiling, not trusting your glossy eyes. 

"Guess they couldn't help themselves at leaving the best for last huh Camie?" you chuckled, looking back to see the youngest mermaid wasn't fond of your joke. 

You sigh. "Don't worry, we'll get out of here." you reassure her, feeling determination and anger eat up at your gut. "...We don't belong to anyone." you added in a deep tone, your sharp teeth poking from within your mouth.

_______

You were lucky you could feel your legs again by the time your turn came up, or else you would've been dragged like the other prisoners who refused to walk. 

If the cells were terrible, on stage was even worse. The bright lights blinded you, the clapping and cheering left a ringing echo in your ears, it made you feel sick. 

"Here we have a unique specimen. A bifucated mermaid!" the announcer said through the den den mushi in his hands. The audience looked at you quite skeptic, murmuring between each other in distrust since you looked like a regular human. "Oh? Not convinced?" the announcer said in surprise, motioning one of his henchmen towards the piece of clothing on your lower half. 

"Hey wait-!" you yelled in vain as the henchman ripped off your pair of jeans with a knife. Revealing your stripped fin like legs to the public and for everyone to see. 

You felt exposed. Your blood boiling in both embarrassment and anger, wanting nothing more than to kill everyone on stage as you tried to at least cover your underwear. The crowd on the other hand was causing an uproar, the men oogling your panties while the women mutter and giggled to each other. 

"Look at those hideous fins!"

"What unpleasant scars she has, I wouldn't want that decorating my trophy room."

"She's too old for my taste." 

Was a few of the horrendous thing your heard from the crowd. You shut your eyes tight in hopes of drowning out every other sound as well, hoping this would be all over soon.

"The bidding will start at 10 million beri, do I hear an offer?" the announcer tried to hype the crowd to no avail, an older mermaid wasn't as popular as a young one.

Very few people said random numbers back and forth that didn't go over 13 million, either way you couldn't care less. It wasn't until you heard a gruff voice boom out throughout the entire auction house. 

"30 million beri!" a unknown man yelled at the back of the room, earning a couple of snickers from the rest of the crowd. 

"What an idiot." someone mutter. 

"Who'd want to buy such a freak?" another person teased. 

But the man didn't take back his offer.

You raised your head in surprise, trying to get a good look at the man but the lights weren't helping in the slightest. 

Since there was no one else to bid a higher price, the announcer sold you to the man. Before being taken away backstage, you did manage to catch a glimpse of red hair. "No way... It can't be him." you said to yourself, trying to crane you head towards his direction but the henchmen pushed you away. 

Rayleigh and the rest of the slaves were huddled together in a cage, being pushed inside by the henchman with a hiss. Luckily you didn't spend much time backstage. After a few minutes you heard a commotion coming from the stage, it wasn't like the previous noises from earlier when people were bidding for you and Camie, it sounded more like shouting and gunfire. 

"What do you think is going on?" you asked Rayleigh, the older man chuckled at the sight of the henchmen running back and forth. 

"That my dear, is the sound of a fight breaking down." 

You saw Rayleigh break from his chains with ease, removing the collar off his neck much to your surprise.

After he removed your collar as well along the rest of the slaves, you broke out of your handcuffs with an angered cry. Not only that but Rayleigh also used his haki to open the cage, taking down the henchmen guarding it with ease as the rest of the slaves looked with awe and used the opportunity to escape. 

"I'm gonna go see if Camie is alright." you told Rayleigh, noticing he was heading in the opposite direction. 

Rayleigh raised an eyebrow. "You warmed up to the young girl didn't you?" he inquired curiously with a knowing smile. 

"Merfolk should stick together... Plus, she needs all the help she can get." You waved a hand nonchalantly. 

"Very well my dear (y/n). I'll catch up to you in a moment, after I rummage through these guy's valuables." Rayleigh said with a cheeky smile, eyeing you for a brief second before tossing you his coat. "By the way, take this. You're not a little girl anymore after all." 

Now that he mentioned it, you felt a light breeze pass through your legs reminding you of your underwear, quickly wrapping the coat around your waist like a makeshift skirt before running off towards the stage. 

After taking down a couple of henchmen along the way, you eventually reached the well lit stage where Camie was located. 

However, she wasn't alone.

There was a woman standing on a platform beside the fish tank, not just any woman, but a tenryubito nevertheless. She was pointing a gun at the poor mermaid, and if the sight alone didn't cause your blood to boil her words only fueled your anger. Your nails became elongated, taking a dark color as you jumped on stage by slashing woman's weapon into bits. 

She fell back in fear and shock at the attack, seeing how enraged you were. Your pupils dilated, the fins on your back becoming visible and menacing, snarling at the woman with your sharp teeth. An authentic aura for blood thirst appearing over you. 

"We aren't afraid of you. YOU SHOULD BE AFRAID OF US." you shouted to the celestial dragon in her face.

You spared Camie a quick glance before you looked back at the tenryubito, seeing how she passed out. Feeling your anger subside for the time being. 

Rayleigh soon joined in the party, offering to remove Camie's collar even though everyone appeared to panic at the idea. You simply huffed, and jumped off the stage after the old man released Camie from her collar and shackles. 

"Wait, (y/n). Let me thank you!" you heard Camie say from behind you. 

"It's nothing. But if you can't protect yourself then don't even bother getting out of the water." you said rather sternly, even coming off as a little harsh. But to you, it was the best advice you could offer to Camie.

For now you just wanted to get out of this place. 

As you made your way up the corridor between the seats, you started to notice just how empty the whole auction house was. In comparison to how lively it was just a few minutes ago. 

Either way, your path was soon blocked by bumping into someone's chest.

"Hey, watch it!" you said in irritation. 

"What's the rush fishy?" Eustass said, his characteristic grin plastered on his face. "I hope you're not planning on walking through the front. The place is packed with marines."

"What are you talking about?" you looked at him like he was joking.

"Monkey over there punched a tenryubito in the face, so the marines sent all their man power this way." kid explained, almost like the whole situation brought a certain joy to him.

The look on your face was one of utter disbelief. Taking a step back to notice the unconscious tenryubito on the floor, along with a few familiar faces you've seen from the wanted posters. 

"So what you're saying is, the only thing between me and the bay is an army of marines in front of the auction house?" you asked, making sure you heard right. 

Kid simply nodded towards you. Causing you to remove your sun hat with a sigh, passing a hand through your hair before speaking. 

"Alright then." you shrug, placing your hat back on your head with a mischievous smirk. "Count me in."

Eustass imitated your dangerous smirk, leaning forward to say. "Just don't get in the way, got that fishy?" he threatened in a husky voice. 

"Fine but just this once. Wouldn't want to take the spotlight away from the 'oh so glorious captain kid." you replied in a sassy manner much to his amusement. Following behind him along with the three other pirates in his crew. 

____

One by one the marine soldiers fell under your haki embedded attacks, unable to catch up with you swift kicks and powerful slashes. You were honestly having the time of your life. 

Once the monster trio created an opening between the endless swarm of marine soldiers, everyone made a run for it. 

You tried to catch up to Rayleigh's group with the straw hats and Camie, if it wasn't for Kid who grabbed you by the arm. "And where do you think you're going?" 

"Why do you care?" You released your arm from his grip just as annoyed. 

"I told you I want you in my crew didn't I? I even offered 30 million to buy you from those fuckers." he raised his voice at you, making you go quiet all of a sudden. 

"So it WAS you... Why do you even want me in your crew!? You just met me!" you questioned the man, unable to understand his motives despite the war zone happening around you two. 

But kid didn't answer your question, he just growled under his breath "Are you going to come along or am I gonna have to kidnap your ass?" he added. You couldn't tell if he was joking or not with that last part.

But your gaze went back to Rayleigh. 

"I need to do something first." you went straight to the point, you didn't say it out loud but the look on your face said it all.

"Make it back or I'll hunt down your scaley ass."

Kid released you from his intense glare without another word, not even a taunt. He simply walked back to his crew, signaling them to continue forward. You tighten your sun hat with a nod, heading down your own path by rushing through the fallen marines in hopes of catching up with your old mentor.

The straw hats regrouped as well, having Rayleigh escort the pirates to the bay where their newly coated ship waits. 

"Old man wait up!" you shouted. 

"Ah, (y/n) what are you doing here? I could've sworn you were with the feisty fella." Rayleigh greets you with a smile as you jogged beside him. 

"I was... I mean I wasn't." you paused, having your tongue just as scrambled as your thoughts. "He wants me to join his crew." you admitted, looking away unsure. 

"That's great! And what did you say?" the oldest replied, sounding quite content. 

"That's the thing, I haven't given him an actual reply." you said solemnly, looking down at your feet.

Even after all these years, you still needed to ask for his advice. 

"Did they treat you like shit?" he asked without missing a beat. 

"Not really, he tried to buy me from the slave house though... " 

"Do you want to continue exploring?" he asked again, not letting you doubt yourself.

"Of course I do!" you exclaimed.

"Then what are you doing here? Go with them they clearly want you in your crew!" the man said without a trouble in the world. 

"But I heard they're the worst, what if they just sell me off-?" you express your concern. 

"Don't let fear consume you my dear, you'll never know if you don't give it a try." Rayleigh said in a much more hopeful tone, trying to help you overcome your doubt and distrust.

The dark knight is a wise man who has lived through so much. He knew that if you didn't overcome your fears sooner or later, it will prevent you from making decisions in the future.

You lowered your jogging until eventually stopping all together, finally coming to a decision.

"Hey old man." you shouted towards Rayleigh, causing the older man to turn around. "Thanks..." you said. The dark knight was slightly confused until he caught the coat you tossed him, the one he borrowed you to cover your scale legs back at the auction house. "...For everything." you added with a warm smile.

Rayleigh looked back at you with a fond smile, patting the top of your head just like when you were a kid years ago. You returned the gesture by wrapping him in a hug, catching him off by surprise, but he soon found it to be a pleasant surprise.

Knowing that the situation at hand wasn't the most stable, you had to take off in the direction the kid pirates went, hoping the marines haven't sent back up yet. 

"Go out there and kick ass, just like I taught you." he cheered for you, watching you run off as he catches up with the straw hat group. 

__________

Just like you imagined, marine HQ did send back up, but you didn't imagine they would send the pacifistas. 

Even with the help of the heart pirates, the kid pirates were struggling to take down the android. But this is kid we're talking about, the pacifista was quite battered up. Scraps of metal flying everywhere, burnt marks, wires sticking out from under metal plates, but the war machine kept fighting back in an attempt to capture the pirates. 

"Cap, we should make a run for it. He's just keeping us here until Kizaru comes along." heat yelled to his captain.

Kid grunts, feeling a strain in his arm due to the amount of machinery on his arm, not to mention the time he has been holding his ground against the pacifista now. The android opened it's mouth, ready to shoot it's lazer at the pirates once more. Kid held his characteristic giant metal arm to block the pacifistas' attack, but before the machine could launch it's attack you came just in time to kick it in the face, sending it's blast in another direction.

After delivering the kick, you landed next to kid who received you with a chuckle.

"Look who decided to show up." the red head lowered his metallic arm, greeting you with a grin. "Took you long enough." he jest.

"Aw, miss me already? bet you couldn't handle this sucker without my help." you boast after noticing the conditions the kid pirates are in.

Kid would've continued with your bickering if it wasn't for Law interrupting. 

"Good grief." Law released an exasperated sigh. "You two can flirt later, now we gotta get rid of this bastard." the surgeon pointed out, taking a defensive stance as the pacifista recovered from your blow.

"We're not flirting!!" both you and kid shouted in annoyance at law, but the surgeon knew better.

You took an offensive stance, standing back to back with kid. You dreaded fighting the pacifista any longer than a minute, considering how long the kid and the heart pirates have been fighting and the closer the admiral is. You took a quick glance at Kid's metal arm, an idea cooking in your head. 

"Hey kid. Remember our first fight?" you asked the redhead behind you.

The man groaned in annoyance at the memory of his defeat. Yeup, he remembers it.

"What do you think will happen if I completely rust this bastard?" you hinted with a knowing grin. Although you couldn't see kid's face, but there was no doubt he mimic your expression once he caught on with your idea.

"You better not miss." he said, clenching his metallic fist as the pacifista scanned the area.

"Not planning to." you replied confidently. "Give me 30 seconds." you added, making a run for it to the left on the pacifistic.

After recovering from the kick, the pacifista targeted mainly the pirates in front of him, ignoring you completely since you didn't have a bounty for him to target. Lucky you.

"Killer! cover me!" Kid ordered the blonde.

While the two of them attacked the machine, you collected the slippery liquid from the archipelago's ground, it wasn't 100% water but it came from the ocean so it's a reasonable substitute.

With enough liquid contents by your side you headed straight for the pacifista, focusing your haki embedded attack on your elongated nails as you propelled yourself for a high jump. Your fingernails cut through the pacifista's metal back, the force of the liquid you collected seeping into the slash causing it to rust from the inside at an unnatural speed.

The pacifista started to malfunction, it was loosing control over it's limbs as error messages kept popping all over it's interface. The rust was spreading over to it's chest, limiting it's movements as the machine became stiff and rigid.

Kid took the opportunity to land a final blow to the pacifista, but not without you shouting to him. "Need a lift?" you asked.

Using the leftover liquid you collected to make a platform for kid to jump on, boasting him in the air before he crashed his fist into the machine's chest, rusted metal parts flew everywhere, eventually leaving a gaping hole in middle of the pacifista.

"Not bad." kid compliments you.

Once the pacifista was defeated, the heart pirates went their separate ways while you went back to the victoria punk with the rest of the kid pirates without any other problem. While you walked along side the red head you took advantage of the moment to ask him something that has been bugging your mind.

"Hey red." you gained kid's attention, although he wasn't sure if he liked the nickname yet. "Why do you want me in your crew anyway?" you asked casually. 

Kid kept his view forward, but his answer was still directed to you and he didn't mind the rest of his crew listening. "At first I thought you were just a pretty face who happened to be a mermaid. But you got guts. You weren't afraid to challenge me, it was stupid of you but I could use more people like that in my crew." he said firmly with a straight face, proving he was being honest much to your surprise. 

"Alright, I guess I could tag along for a while." you said with a cheeky grin. Feeling satisfied with the answer Kid gave you.

Of course being the kind of pirate he is, Kid was quick to grab you by the collar of your shirt, pulling you close enough for you to smell the mix of cologne and gunpowder off him. 

"And that's captain kid for you now. Got that fishy?" he said in a husky tone, both aiming to either fear or arouse you. 

But you held your ground. He's a beautiful bastard and he knows it, so you didn't want to boast his ego even more by caving in so quickly. 

"Watch it ginger, I said I would tag along not join." you said, tapping your claws on his forearm. "Plus... You still need someone to guide you to Fishman island, don't you?" you added with a smirk. 

Kid released you from his grip, muttering a small "Fine." from under his breath. 

Once he let you go you pulled his attention towards the pair of goggles hanging from your finger, taunting him with them. Kid was surprised to find the item gone from his forehead for the second time this week, he yelled angrily as he chased after you in the direction of the Victoria punk. 

Heat, Wire and Killer looked back at their captain chase after their new unofficial member, snickering to themselves as killer said. 

"Trip to the new world is gonna be one hell of a ride."


	4. Notorious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the mess that happened at Sabaody Archipelago, you find yourself both surprised and angered when you see an article about you in the newspaper.

You sit back a top of the crow's nest on the Victoria Punk, comfortably reading the latest issue on the newspaper. You chuckle to yourself. It hasn't been day since you escaped from Sabaody Archipelago and now news about the incident are already rolling in.

"You just couldn't keep it to yourself Morrigan huh?" you say happily. Taking a sip from your drink

You shook your head the more you read, especially with about how the world government tried to pull attention away from the auction house itself and rather focus on the 'oh so dangerous pirates'.

'Fucking hypocrites' you think to yourself.

Of course, all the attention was mostly aimed on the monster trio of the worst generation, Luffy, Law and Kid. There also are mentions of the other pirate groups on the archipelago, but the spotlight was mainly focused on the straw hats, the heart pirates and the kid pirates. When you flipped to the next page your eyes were met with a familiar face, or rather, a picture of you.

You first reaction was one of curiosity, sitting upright and placing your drink aside, reading the smaller article about you. Apparently it was from your first fight with Kid at the pub when you refused to hand him his goggles. Your grip on the newspaper tighten, anger replacing your curiosity the more you read.

"Bullshit!" you furiously slam a hand against the crow's nest railing.

You held the rolled newspaper tight in your hand, lowering yourself from the crows nest until your feet were met with the ship's deck.

A few of the kid pirates took notice of your mood, continuing with their activities without another word. Which was for the best considering the incident that happened when you first arrived to the ship.

Everyone was in a rush to set sail once Kid arrived, but their attention landed to the newcomer behind him. A woman, more specifically a merfolk nevertheless. They ogled at the sight of you in underwear (after those jerks at the auction house ripped your pants), making snide comments of the matter. But what really got to you was when one of them said "Looks like the captain brought back a rare fucktoy-" this pissed you off the most, grabbing the man by throat with a strength no one expected from a mermaid.

"Oh, looks like the fishes have new guts to nibble on~" you chuckle, dangling the man overboard the ship.

"Oi, fish legs get your hands off my subordinate." Kid sternly called you out for your behavior, much to your dismay.

You complied, roughly dropping the man back on deck. However, to your surprise Kid pulled out a pistol from his pants and shot the man directly in the stomach, causing him to drop to the floor with a pained groan.

"Take him to the infirmary." kid ordered indifferently. "And every one get back to work!" he barked, heading to his captain quarters before brushing next to you and speak low enough for you to hear.

"This is my ship and these are my men. Behave yourself."

After that, the pirates knew it was best to not mess with you even though you had to follow kid's rules.

You stomped inside the ship with newspaper still in hand, finding Killer in the dimly lit hallways holding a plate of spaghetti. "Where's Kid?" you ask firmly.

"In his workshop." the blonde nods you in the right direction, watching you storm off without another word.

The moment you reached the rusty metal door at the end of the hall you relentlessly knock on it with your fist before receiving a shout from the other side. "For fucks sake, do you have a death wish or something?!" kid yelled, opening the door only to see your annoyed face match his own. "You?" the red head's temper lowered a bit at the sight of you. "What do you want? I'm busy." he scoffs lazily.

You raise the newspaper up to Kid's eye level, keeping it on the page with your article.

"Have you read this shit?"

The captain grabs the newspaper, stepping aside to allow you inside his workshop. 

Kid's laughter could be hear as he reads the headline of the article outloud. "Unknown woman fights the notorious Captain Kid in the plaza of Sabaody Archipelago a week before the incident." He chuckles continuing with his reading. "The same woman was involved with the kid pirates in the assault of a tenryubito and the escape of multiple pirates. She was last seen alongside Eustass Kid. Could this mysterious woman be a new ally or simple a love quarrel?" he finished reading, placing the newspaper on his work bench, leaning his back against the table.

You crossed you arms over your chest with a huff.

"They wrote an article about you, what's the problem?" Kid said nonchalantly, finding humor in how you were anger over a trivial thing.

"The public thinks I'm a groupie of yours despite I did just as much damage! that's the problem." you express, reminding him how you helped take down a pacifista. 

"Who gives a shit about what other's think." he shrugs.

"You saw what I am capable of. I want to be recognized as such and not just like some side chick, I want to be feared." 

"So that's what this is all about." Kid removed himself from the workbench, walking up to close enough to have his chest touch yours.

"I know what you are capable of..." he admits lowly. "Isn't that enough for you?" he asks. 

"Tell me ginger, even **if** you become the king of the pirates would it be as enjoyable if you weren't feared?" you poked a claw against his chest.

Kid's expression became serious, mostly due to the implication you made. "I **will** become the king of the pirates." He stated without missing a beat. Grabbing the hand that was poking his chest, he silently viewed your claws, they are currently a soft peach colored but he has seen them in a deadly black and even pouring with a shade of red. Kid let's go of your hand, cutting off the only intimate moment you've had ever since you stepped foot (or fin?) on his ship. 

"But you do have a point..." he trails off with a snicker. "You're lucky you know that?"

"For what? To sail in the same ship with a hot head bastard?" you grin. 

Kid warned you with a harden expression. "To be associated with an infamous bastard." he corrected you. "Just stick with us fishy, you're bound to make headlines eventually. But you don't have to just prove it to them... You gotta prove it to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit shorter than what I'm used to, but I figured that this way should help me burn out less frequently.
> 
> From here on out I don't have a specific plot in mind, just small moments and misadventures between Kid and a deadly mermaid reader.


End file.
